2025 Fellowship in Plant Conservation Biology
Position description:
The Plant Conservation Biology Fellowship is awarded annually to one outstanding, early-career practitioner, scholar or scientist working on issues related to plant and landscape conservation in the broad sense. The goal is to provide advanced graduate students, post-docs, and beginning faculty with an extended stay of 2 - 5 weeks on the Oak Spring estate to undertake independent writing and thinking, away from the day-to-day demands of their other responsibilities. This is one of our four most prestigious awards and it includes a $10,000 individual grant. While at OSGF, the fellow will be able to meet with staff, explore our 700-acre landscape and our efforts in sustainable land management, and visit our rare book library that holds over 19,000 objects, including many examples of botanical art.
The Fellowship is well suited for individuals working on writing projects that require dedicated time and minimal distractions. OSGF intends to award the Fellowship to an exceptional plant conservation biologist whose research shows remarkable promise to contribute to the conservation of plants, and the landscapes of which they are a part of.
The Fellow will be scheduled to visit when there are other Interdisciplinary Residents or Fellows on site. This scheduling will allow the Fellow to join in communal meals, and optional activities and field trips with other artists, ecologists, researchers, or scholars working on projects related to OSGF’s mission. Beyond time to develop their projects, a Fellow’s typical day at Oak Spring might include a walk to enjoy the landscape or birds; an appointment to visit the Oak Spring Library; and/or a morning spent volunteering at the BCCF or in the formal garden. These optional activities provide Fellows time to learn from, and interact with our staff. None of these activities are required, and we understand that some Fellows might want to spend most of their time in their writing or working independently. We support and enable Fellows to use their time as they best see fit. At the culmination of their stay, we encourage, but don’t require, Fellows to give a 20 – 30 minute presentation with time for questions, to Oak Spring staff and any other Fellows, Residents, or program participants who might be on site.
Application deadline: 31 May 2024
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